Archive for December, 2009

Jimmy Choo announces the launch of Project PEP with the Elton John AIDS Foundation. This project is designed to support the funding of the Simelela centre in South Africa. The vibrant capsule collection features a distinctive and collectible punk rock motif print representing Jimmy Choo’s passionate and individualist spirit.

This cause has particular resonance for Jimmy Choo because of its support and empowerment of women. In 2005 Jimmy Choo Founder and President Tamara Mellon worked with the Elton John AIDS Foundation on a charity auction project ‘Four Inches’ that assisted with the first funding of the Simelela centre.

“We are women helping women and we are proud to continue our collaboration with the compelling and urgent initiatives of the Elton John AIDS Foundation and to provide a voice for under-privileged women in South Africa. We are excited to launch this social media campaign which we believe is a fun, light-hearted way to make people aware of a very serious subject.” – Tamara Mellon, Founder & President, Jimmy Choo.

Jimmy Choo will donate 25% of the net sales from Project PEP to the Elton John AIDS Foundation. With this funding, the Elton John AIDS Foundation can directly support the pioneering Simelela Rape Centre in Cape Town that was set up in 2005, with the mission to administer victims of abuse with the vital HIV preventative PEP medication (Post Exposure Prophylaxis) and provide the infrastructure for medical, counselling and legal support.

The proceeds raised by Project PEP will enable the clinic to stay open day and night providing 24 hour/7 days a week access to the vital life saving treatment that has to be administered within the first 72 hours of exposure to HIV.

Everyone could enter unlimited photos to the competition and with talent being fierce my dream of winning the first prize dwindled away. After putting any hope of a prize to the back of my mind I was elated to recieve an email from the Jimmy Choo team saying my photo had come runner up with a project PEP Eco Bag.

The brief for the photo competition was “You, Your Shoes and 72”. I interpreted this as 72 shoes shaped to resemble the Aids foundation Red cross. Wearing my red ribbon shoes that symbolise the cross as the focal point and using a clock to symbolise the 72 hour time frame.

I’ll be proudly wearing mine in support of the good cause. Check out the website for the collection and to view other entries and don’t forget to dig deep and donate to the foundations lifesaving work.